Did you know?

How's the fluoride in your water?
Are fewer visits better for a major procedure?
The history of fluoride toothpaste
Laughing gas
Is soda the kids' drink of choice?

Well-Water Test For Natural Fluoride

It is important that the children have the correct amount of fluoride every day from 6 months old until 16 years. Systemic fluoride can reduce decay by at least 40%.

Some wells in Connecticut have fluoride naturally. It is important for those families with well water to have it tested for the level of fluoride. Depending on the test results Dr. Carta will prescribe the correct daily fluoride supplement.

The test will be done at the University of CT Health Center in Farmington. To request a test kit send a check for $20.00 payable to UConn Medical Center along with your address and phone number to:

The Fluoride Service
University of Connecticut Health Center
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-1610

In the test kit that you will receive from the UConn Health Center, you will find address labels that you need to complete. These labels will be used for the reporting of the water test results. You will need to instruct the Uconn Health Center to send the water test results to both yourself and Dr. Carta’s office.

When you fill out the address labels please include not only your name and home address, but also the name of your child (or your children). In this way, when we receive a copy of the report, we know which patient(s) chart(s) to put the information in, and to whom to send the fluoride prescription (if necessary).

Dental office: Patricia A. Carta, D.M.D
583 Saybrook Road
Middletown, CT 06457

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Treatment, ASAP

One problem that some people have with dental treatment is the number of visits needed when a considerable amount of treatment is required. Some patients will say, “It really bothers me that I can never seem to get all the work done,” The point is well taken. In today’s fast paced world, many people can have trouble scheduling five, ten, or even more dental visits. This is especially true if the appointments conflict with a person’s work schedule, and unfortunately, some dentist do not have adequate evening or weekend hours. There are also patients who prefer to get their treatment done in as few visits as possible because of the stress or anxiety they feel when they go to the dentist. Whatever the reason, in most cases, dentists can greatly limit the amount of appointments needed to complete their patient’s dental care needs.

Having a cavity treated or a tooth pulled takes one visit, but a dentist usually only treats one area or side of the mouth at a time. A root canal usually takes one or two visits, and a crown (cap) or porcelain veneer takes two visits. A full or partial denture, fixed bridgework (a series of joined caps or crowns), or treatment of the gums will usually take three, four, or even more visits. So you can imagine that if a person requires several of these services throughout the mouth, many visits may be required.

Fortunately, patients that cannot schedule or tolerate multiple visits can have most if not all of their treatment completed in one, two or three visits. To do this, the dentist and patient must be wiling to block out a long period, often several hours, to get the treatment finished. The dentist should also ask the patient to take frequent breaks to rest their mouth, and also inform him or her about the potential for discomfort for a few days after the treatment is completed. Patients in poor general health, those that have TMJ (jaw-joint) problems, or financial limitations may not be good candidates for long dental treatment visits.

Unique situations call for unique solutions, and long dental visits can be the answer for those with several dental problems, but prefer fewer appointments.

By: Dr. Jerry Gordon
www.dentalcomfortzone.com
Email questions to: DrGordon@dentalcomfortzone.com

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The History of Fluoride Toothpaste

In the 1950s Proctor and Gamble had the idea of adding fluoride to toothpaste. First, researchers at Indiana University had to find a way to keep stannous fluoride from bonding with toothpaste abrasives. Once this problem was solved, Proctor and Gamble introduced “Crest-with Fluoristan” in 1956. Advertising for the new product included the popular line “Look, Mom-no cavities!”

Four years later, the Council on Dental Therapeutics of the American Dental Association gave Crest its seal of approval on the product and called it “an effective decay-preventive dentifrice.” The American-Dental Association now estimates tooth decay is reduced by as much as 20-30% by brushing with toothpaste that contains fluoride.

(Source: McGrath, K, and B.E. Travers, eds. 1998. World of Invention. Gale Group.)

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Laughing Gas

Nitrous Oxide gas was first identified by Joseph Priestley in 1772. In the late 1790s, Humphry Davy began experimenting with it. He noticed when he inhaled it, he laughed, which gave the gas it’s popular name – laughing gas. In fact, “inhalation parties” became vogue. Public lectures about the gas involved a demonstration on audience volunteers. During one of these lectures by Gardner Quincy Colton in 1844, a dentist, Horace Wells, observed that a volunteer who obviously hurt himself under the gas’s influence didn’t notice the pain. The next day, Wells used the gas while a fellow dentist removed one of Well’s teeth. Wells felt no pain. In 1868, Edmund Andrews used nitrous oxide in combination with oxygen and this method became a standard dental practice.

(Source: www.dfdasmiles.com)

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